St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-31
metallic FREAKS.
Queer Forms Assumed by Molten
silver Dropped Oh Cold slabs.


silver Dropped Oh Cold slabs.
Chicago Herald.
Ten years ago this winter I stood in the
big California stamp mill at Virginia City,
New, watching the sixty ponderous $50
pound weights laundering OH the quartz.
The pulp was being stirred in the great
pans; the tailings were going out down a
flume like mill race. At each settling
pan was large canvass bag held in vice
like grip. | was invited to thrust my hand
into one of them. l did So and brought up
great handful of something that was heavy
and as elusive as quickSand.
THAT" said old Senator Fair, then su-
perintendent of the Big Bonanza mine. lis
amalgamated quicksilver and gold and sill
yer, We put that in red-hot retorts. The
Quicksilver passes off in vapor, is caught
and precipitated, and the bullion comes out
IN a blackened but solid mass Now come
down to the refinng-room and I'll show you
something. Dye ever see how silver
spreads when you drop iti 1 can't do this
as well as1'd like to, for there's too much
gold; this stuff runs As per cent. gold, and
it's too heavy to work as I'd like it,
Senator Fair led the way to room in
brick building adjacent, where two great
caldrons were boiling and bubbling
There's half million in each of those"
said Mr.. Fair. johnny, clear this iron
table. and get me two blocks of ice"
The ice was brought and the blocks were
placed foot apart on the iron bed. When
all was chilled Mr.. Fair said: ''Give me
tifty-oun ladle." The latter was dipped
into one of the caldrons and came up with
a pint of white, molten fluid. Now,
watch" said Mr.. Fair. He held it up as
high as his arms would reach. and dropped
it on the cold slab between the cakes of ice.
He dropped in splatches of little more than
a tablespoonful each. The effect was mar
velous. AS the liquid silver and gold fell It's
weight scattered it into 10000 conceivable
shapes, and the cold chill so suddenly ap-
piled CONCEALED it into 100, 900 inconceiva-
BILE shapes in an instant. There were
splatters and splatches and all SORTS
OF things. Where single drop
would fall it would to expand to either
coach wheel or a cobweb, as the freak
would take it. If Mr.. Fair dropped a
spoonful next the cake Of ice the Splashes
would rise, catch OH to the ice, and make
perfect little wire forest. 1t was one of
the most beautiful sights the writer had
ever seen.
Jewellers and siIversmiths," said Mr..
Fair, ''get good many of their ideas from
just such idloSyncracieS of silver bullion. l
have held it up before now. dropped it. and
seen come out the oldest and most surpris-
ing forms. Lon Hamilton. Jones brother
in-law, has complete coach and four and
hounds behind-the result of just one
splash On a cake of ice down at the
Belcher. Odd things in silver? Oh, the
silversmiths are more perfect than
we are, but I'll bet l can hold this ladle
up, drop the whole of it on that
cold slab. and you will see a variety OF
forms. devices and grotesqueries such as
you never dreamed of. Johnny, give ME
fresh ladIe. Now, stand away. Here she
goes!' and pint of molten silver went out
on the table.
Ten thousand shapes and i'll shapes, and
ten other thousand forms were there.
There were forests and streams, and birds
and reptiles, and rocks and mountains. To
have picked out all would have been
weeks task.
''Chuck it back into the PAM said Mr.
Fair. Give HE another ladle. Now
watch this!'
Down it went on the cold slab. There
were elephants and giraifeS, and lions and
dogs. and African bungalows. and on one
splatch a marching regiment could have
been made out by but trihing stretch of
the ina gination.